MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 572, 25 January 1851, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

lesterday, the Rev. T. Jackson, prebendary of St. Paul’s, and Bishop designate or Lyttelton, New Zealand, preached farewell sermons, in the morning at St. Patil’s Church, Herne-hill, in the afternoon at Dulwich Cha-

pel, and in the evening at St. Dunstan’s Church, Stepney, previous to his departure for lhe Canterbury settlement in the ship Castle Eden, which is appointed to sail on Wednesday. At each church liberal collections, amounting in the aggregate to upwards ot £lOO, were made in aid of the Church of England missions. Steam Communication with AustraI ' rA * Instead of reaching our colonial brethren through Alexandria and Aden, we are about to put ourselves in communication with them through Chagres and Panama. Although by this route into ti e Great Southern Ocean we miss India, with her many thrones, we familiarise ourselves more than ever with the western seahoard of the New World, containing districts as rich iu mercantile interest as the mote settled commercial centres of the old continent. M e save also ahent 2000 miles in the distance to bp traversed, and about 20 days in the duration of the voyage, cheapening at the same time the expense of transit at least 50 per cent., the existing tariff of charges by the eastern route, as compared with that through Central America, being in the proportion of about two to one. The failure, therefore, in establishing a postal communication with Australia through the gates of toe eastern hemisphere is to be regretted for this reason, that we do not put India in communication with our Australian colonies, nor satisfy the recorded wishes of the Australian public. But on grounds of general advantage to the empire at large, and the speed and economy of the route, the superseding of the Oriental by the contrary voyage will eventually prove a national advantage, and not a national misfortune. Of all things connected with this matter, and whether to promote it we steam east or west, it is most desirable that we should be at sea immediately, and give to oor south-western empire that facility of intercommunication which is calculated to strengthen the bonds by which we hope to he permanently held together.—Mining Journal. The Cape of Good Hope Mail Contract. —We understand that the decision of tne Lords of the Admiraltv relative to the contract for the conveyance of mails to the Cape of Good Hope will shortly be officially announced. Mr. Laming’s tender will be chosen ; and, pending the construction of screw steamers of large size and power for the line, probably several of her Majesty's finest screw steam ships may be chartered for the execution of the service.— Liverpool Albion, Sept. 23. Important Use of the Telegraph to Railway Management. —A given amount of work is accomplished with a less amount of rolling-stock on a well-worked telegraph railway than elsewhere ; and of the stock that is employed, there is much less unnecessary wear and tear in running about to stations where it is not wanted. The money value of this use of the telegraph is great. It is of daily and almost hourly occurrence for stations in unexpected want of carriages and trucks, to obtain them, by means of telegraph notice, from other stations who can spare them ; and thus the surplus stock is much less than it must otherwise needs be. About a thousand carriages of various kinds, and sheets for protecting goods’ trucks, were required by telegraph in the three months before us. The i urgency of these requests sometimes amounts i almost to the ludicrous. To some small sta- i tion, say Headcorn, an unexpected inpouring | of hops arrives from the neighbouring gar- I uens ; he has very few trucks, very few sheets, I he has just sent bis last away; the heavens ' look black and threatening, big drops begin j to fall; his warehouse and his tents are full, j He makes known his distress at Ashford in vain; to Canterbury nearly in vain ; to Tonbridge, he gets some trucks, perhaps, but no i tarpauling to cover them ; to the goods department, in the Kent Road, Loudon, whence his wants, perhaps, are all supplied. If, again, all this were to be done by letter, conveyed by train, the opportunity would be lost, or the mischief would be done before bis wants could be supplied. For the letter would first go to head-quarters at Loudon, where probably would be kept the returns of the distribution of the rolling stock on the morning of the day in question ; the officer in charge would know in what static-n, say Canterbury, there appeared in the morning a good supply. He would write by the next train to Canterbury. But the evening would by this time have arrived, or the stock at Canterbury might now be engaged ; or, if any could be spared, there might be no ready means ol forwarding it.— Jl's/fer’s Electric Telegraph Manipulation.

Narrow Escape of the Duke of Wellington.—His Grace the Duke of Wellington, yesterday afternoon, about two o'clock, as he was proceeding from Dover to Walmer Castle, very narrowly escaped an accident. When about a quarter of a mile east of Dover Castle, on the Deal road, the post horses in his Grace’s carriage suddenly took fright at the sight of some papers, songs, and ballads

posted for sale, during the races, upon a board by the roadside. The post-boy lost command of his horses, and the carriage was precipitated from the road down a declivity of about two feet, into a stubble field. One of the ■■vioCo fell, and the postboy was tbrown down under the carriage, but escaped unhurt. Two officers of the royal navy, who were at the time walking on the roadside, immediately came up and assisted the gallant Duke out of his carriage. The veteran general, on this, as on al! occasions heretofore in which he has been exposed to danger, exhibited a cool, steady, and unruffled bearing. His only words were addressed to the postboy, commanding him to proceed at once to Walmer. —Morning Herald.

Some Belgian savans were engaged in making meteorological observations on the heights of Belleville. Having raised to a certain height some kites furnished with pointed needles, they drew from the clouds, although the weather was perfectly serene at the liras flashes of electricity similar to those of lightning in a storm. Suddenly one of the gentlemen, says the Potrie, was struck by a flash, and thrown to the ground in a state of insensibility. He had, it appeared, neglected to hold by the glass handle, which served as a non-conductor, and the fluid, descending by the cord, struck him. He was soon after restored to animation, but his right arm remains paralysed, and there is a doubt whether he will ever recover the perfect use of it. jenny Lind's Brother. —-It will be interesting to many of our readers to hear, that last week John Lind, mariner, of Stockholm, son of Hans Lind, schoolmaster, and brother of Jenny Lind, the "‘Swedish Nightingale,” was married in the register-office in this town to Miss Mary Gee, of Pillgwenlly. John had not seen his sister for many years, until he accidentally met with her the other day at Liverpool, on her professional visit to that place, jenny presented him with 3 handful of pocket money, but John, like his other two brothers, is able and willing to work for his bread, and if his sisier were to offer him an annuity to exempt him from labour lie would not accept of it. fie spoke in the most affectionate terms of his sister, stating that she had supported her fattier and mother since she was sixteen years of age.— Bridgewater Times.